


I'll sing for you

by Write_No_Evil



Series: Jason Todd: A Musician [3]
Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Batman and Robin Eternal (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Under the Red Hood
Genre: Angst, Bat Bonding, Gen, Jason and Alfred bonding, Resurrected Jason Todd, batfamily
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-23
Updated: 2016-04-23
Packaged: 2018-06-04 00:22:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6633187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Write_No_Evil/pseuds/Write_No_Evil
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tim, Harper and Steph are all ill after being frozen by Mr Freeze and getting pneumonia. Jason breaks into the Wayne Manor to help Alfred look after them, but ends up being too late. When asked, Alfred tells him he could make it up to him by playing the piano, one that has sat, unused for many years, waiting for him. Jason, although unwilling to sing for people, puts himself out of his comfort zone to ease the ageing man. Eventually, the rest of the family wind up making their way to where he's playing and listen to him sing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'll sing for you

Steph hummed under her breath, dropping down from the hatch on the roof of the Bell Tower and landing silently on the floor. She stealthily moved to the figure sitting in front of the computer screens, hoping this time she would scare her.  
  
"Don't even bother," Barbara told her, not even looking behind her to see Steph. Steph froze, one foot still in the air as she glared at the ginger girl in front of her.  
  
"How did you know I was behind you?!" She moaned, giving up on getting to the older woman as quietly as possible and walked noisily to stand next to her friend.  
  
"Other than the fact I saw you in the reflection of the screen? You triggered three different sensors coming in." Steph pouted at that. She bounced back to her bubbly personality a heartbeat later, her lips returning to her natural smile as she began humming again. She leant over Barbara's shoulder to read the writing on the screen Barbara so used to it, from both her and Cass doing it, that she didn't even comment on it.  
  
"What are you humming?" Barbara asked, eyebrows drawn together as she tried to figure out why the song was so familiar.  
  
"Carry on Wayward Son. I've got stuck in my head since Jason sang it when Cass performed. I really wanna hear him again, I never knew he was such a good singer."  
  
"Most don't. He doesn't often sing, especially in front of people." Barabra got a far away look on her face as she remembered the times Jason had sung for her when they had been on patrol as Batgirl and Robin. Steph waited for her to come back.  
  
"Did he sing to you often?" There was a slight tease in her words and Barbara knocked her with her shoulder.  
  
"Unfortunately he didn't. He would always sing for Alfred whenever he asked, and sometimes when he didn't, but anyone else he rarely sang for."  
  
"Guess he won't sing 'Work from Home' by Fifth Harmony for me then?" Steph looked disappointed.  
  
"There are only two ways for you to get him to sing to you. One is if you're close to him," Barbara saw Steph's face brightening, most likely planning ways to get closer to the male. "And by close I mean, really close. Alfred close."  
  
"They do seem to be close," Steph mused, judging from the few interactions of Jason and Alfred she had witnessed.  
  
"Yeah. He's told stuff to Jason that I don't think even Bruce knows." Steph whistled at that.  
  
"Well then, I'll get some tips from Alfred!"  
  
"Even if you did, Jason has a lot of walls. It may take years for you to tear them down." Steph fell quiet at the true statement. There was a lull in the conversation, Barbara beginning to type again.  
  
"What's the second way?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"You said there were two ways to get him to sing for you."  
  
"Oh yeah. The second way is to give him a song he can relate to it. Things about being alive and mattering. Going through hard times but pulling through them. Shouting out your hatred towards things." Barbara rattled out a few suggestions. Steph pursed her lips and pulled the air through her teeth, making a high pitch whistling noise.  
  
"Are there any other ways maybeee?" Steph asked, dragging out the last syllable.  
  
"I guess the only other way for him to sing is for _him_ to sing, by his own prompting. You know, if he decides you're worthy of listening to him sing. Or if you need comforting I guess," she paused as she thought. "Or maybe if you catch him singing to himself. Dick's managed to do it once or twice since he's come back."  
  
"I guess I'll just have to follow him around 'till he sings," she hit her fist in her palm. "I know, I'll play him the song all the time, even whilst he sleeps, then he's bound to sing it."  
  
"Good luck first finding him, then following him without him noticing, which really isn't easy. And then getting through his security into his safe house. He's got an excellent security system. It took me awhile to first find his safe house then hack into it," Barbara placed an elbow on the arm support of her wheelchair, a finger tracing her lips as she thought deeply. "At least an hour maybe even more. It was a nice challenge." She smiled faintly.  
  
"You know what, I'm just gunna give up on that idea," she told Barbara.  
  
"There's a robbery at the Diamond Lady's shop," Barbara told her as an alert popped up, back to business. Steph nodded, running off to where she had entered. Barbara watched her go, a smile on her lips.

* * *

Jason slipped in through one of the windows on the fourth floor of the Wayne Manor. The fourth floor had the weakest security (still better than pretty much all other places) as it wasn't at the bottom or the top, the two most likely places to stage an attack or try to infiltrate in. He easily scaled the wall, his arms more than strong enough to hold his weight as he climbed up. The East Wing was the best place to sneak in from because it was mostly unoccupied, being used only for galas, balls or other events that were hosted by the Waynes.  
  
Even though Bruce hadn't deactivated the pass he had before he had died, Jason hacked into the system to unlock the window and disable the alarms instead. Jason had firmly told Bruce he didn't want the old pass, in fact, he had gone so far as to tell him to delete it, that the kid who used to use it had ceased to exist a long time ago. Maybe it wasn't the best thing to say and Bruce had rushed to argue it with him but Jason had left at that point. He was right about that and he knew Bruce, even if it was at the bottom of his heart, believed it too. Bruce had been hesitant to give him a new code though, his methods clashed with the rest of the family's and Bruce had been floored at what to do, should Bruce give his long lost son a pass to the house? To show that he was always welcome. Or should Batman not give him one until Red Hood had stopped killing? Either way, Jason didn't have a code to get in and he was happy about it. Having a code would mean he was part of the family and he knew he didn't belong with them. Breaking in made everything easier, he was the black sheep, an outcast and breaking in fitted him better, just another thing to add to the list of bad things he had done.  
  
The tall male turned the alarms off and opened the window, slipping in silently. Jason strolled down the carpeted floor, letting it mask what little noise he made. He walked with confidence, hands in his jacket pockets as he made his way down the stairs, until he finally made it to the ground floor, taking a few detours to walk down less secure corridors so Bruce wouldn't know he was there. He smirked, he had begun to develop a sixth sense on where he was, and he used it often when he came to visit Alfred in the Manor, slipping out of the room just as Bruce walked in. The sense had begun to grow to the rest of his family, him now being able to guess where Dick was and be in the right direction. It made it so much easier to avoid them when they were on patrol.

A few minutes later and he was in the kitchen. He stood in the doorway, watching the man in the kitchen bustle around. Mr Freeze had gotten out of Arkham again and had frozen half of Gotham, including two of the vigilantes. Tim and Steph had been frozen solid for over seven hours, resulting in them getting pneumonia. Steph had managed to give it to Harper and Damian's nose seemed to be redder than normal, a sign he too was coming down with something. Jason pushed off of the doorframe and walked into the room, making sure his footsteps weren't silent. Alfred heard him and turned around, a small smile settling on his lips as he saw Jason standing in the middle of the room.  
  
"Good evening, Master Jason," Alfred greeted. Jason grinned at the man. He looked tired, most likely from running around after the ill people and catering for their every need.  
  
"Need any help, Alfie?" Jason asked, nodding to the pot on the stove, knowing from experience that it held the tastiest chicken soup he had ever eaten. Even he, with all his skills, couldn't replicate it.  
  
"I appreciate the offer but they seem to have settled down for now," Alfred spoke fondly, looking at the wall to his right in the direction of the ill children. "Is there something you require?"  
  
"Nah, Alfie. Just popped in to see how you were doin' and say sorry for missin' our last book meetin', Roy forgot to refill the fuel tank in Kori's space ship and so we were left in space longer than I anticipated. I was gunna help you with the others but you to have everything under control."  
  
"Apology accepted. Yes, Master Timothy's fever broke earlier this morning, thankfully. We were all worried about him, especially since he no longer has a spleen," Alfred's composure cracked for a second and Jason saw the pain in Alfred's face at what Tim had gone through. The look lasted for a second before Alfred's face went back to its previous composed look. "It is slowly lowering. If they rest and eat, I predict they'll be up by the end of tomorrow at the earliest."  
  
"Guess I came too late to really help you then," Jason rubbed the back of his head, looking apologetic. He had mostly managed to stop himself from talking with his Crime Alley accent. Alfred was pretty much the only one he wouldn't talk to with in that accent, the old man having spent many hours with Jason as a child to try and help him talk more like Bruce so that everyone in the galas would be less hostile towards him. Jason thought it wouldn't be fair to Alfred if all that time was wasted by Jason slipping back to his normal way of speaking.  
  
"Nonsense. Just seeing you Master Jason, in one piece, has helped me."  
  
"Still, I came here to help and now I can't. I don't suppose there's anything you want me to do? Sew up Bruce's Batman's uniform? I'll do that, though I can't promise I won't use pink thread-" they both smiled at the picture of Batman running around with pink stitches in his uniform. "-anything. Just name it."  
  
"Well," Alfred began, looking off to the side. "I have missed you tinkering on that piano," Alfred admitted. Jason remembered when he had lived in the Manor it had been Alfred who had taught him how to play the classical pieces. Jason smiled.  
  
"I can do that," he turned and walked out of the room. "Comin'?" Alfred followed him, metal tray in hand in case he was needed to carry something to the ill ones bundled up in blankets on the sofas in front of the big TV in the living room with Cass. Last time he had seen him, Bruce had been in his study, working on some deal at Wayne Enterprise and Damian was painting in the room next to him. Barbara and Dick were somewhere in the Manor, going over their information and thinking up new designs for things they'll never need and generally having a nice time together. It seemed like none of them would need him for awhile so Alfred decided to let himself have an hour to himself.  
  
Alfred rose an eyebrow but didn't comment when Jason walked past the room with a grand piano. He continued to lead the elder man until he found a large conservatory with a piano in it. It was a brown, wooden and acoustic piano but it didn't have a lid that could be propped up. He had been too uncomfortable to play a grand piano with a lid, its elegance too much for a street rat. Alfred had, after searching for several days, found a less extravagant piano that Jason had been much more comfortable playing and they had sat for many hours playing songs. Jason lifted up the lid that covered the keys, his fingers running over the ivory blocks, finger moving up and down to press the keys as his hand moved right, playing the scale more out of muscle memory than anything else. Jason rolled his shoulder then decided to take off his jacket, throwing it over one of the sofas that were in the room. With his foot, he pulled out the bench and swung his legs over it, first the right and then the left one. Jason sat down and wiggled his fingers, proceeding to do a few warm ups, the music floating to Alfred and out the room.  
  
The broad-shouldered male began playing the Spring part of the Four Seasons, a classical piece he knew Alfred liked. Alfred stood behind him, smiling as he watched Jason play the piano, closing his eyes to listen to the song better. The last few days had been rough, he hadn't had much sleep as the ill ones had constantly needed something. Listening to Jason play washed away all the stress and tension that had built up in his old body. Jason finished the song, letting a pause settle before starting up another song. Für Elise began to play, Jason's nimble fingers easily pressing the keys in time. Once the song ended, he began to play another classic, watching Alfred through the reflection of the windows in front of him. He knew the songs so well he could play them without looking at the keys, having ingrained it into his memory when he had been a young boy. Years later and he could still remember staying up in the mornings after patrol, after school or on the weekends, practising and practising after Alfred had told him some of his favourite pieces.  
  
In the reflection of the windows, Alfred looked older than Jason remembered. Jason felt bad at what the old man had been through, the constant state of worry over his family. Whilst Jason didn't really like singing in front of people- especially huge crowds of people he didn't know- Alfred was someone he loved and if he had to do something that was slightly out of his comfort zone to see him happy, then Jason would definitely do it. His fingers pressed down on the last few keys of the song he was playing as he wondered what song to sing for him. There was a new song that had been stuck in his head and Jason decided to play it. He looked back down at the keys, not as familiar with the song as the rest he had played and began the song.

* * *

"Do you hear that?" Tim asked, head cocked to the side as he listened. Stephanie sniffed then spoke.  
  
"I don't hear nothing," she grumbled, the cold making her Crime Alley accent even more prominent. Harper agreed with her, taking another tissue and blowing her red nose.  
  
"No! There is something," he insisted. He turned to his sister who had been sitting with them, helping them if they needed it. "You can hear it too, Cass?" Cass titled her head and listened then nodded. "Hah!" The exclamation brought on another coughing fit and Cass moved to him, handing him a glass of water. Tim took it and drank, smiling gratefully.  
  
"It is... piano," Cass told him.  
  
"I wonder who it is," Steph mused, pulling her blanket closer to her as she shivered. Cass noticed the small tremor and grabbed another blanket from the pile at her feet, wrapping it around Steph. The blonde girl smiled at her, holding her breath so she wouldn't infect Cass.  
  
"Well, I know Dick's with Barbara and Damian's in his room. It could be Bruce but he hasn't really played since his mother died. He doesn't have the time to play anymore." Tim began. Steph suddenly grinned. "What are you grinning at?"  
  
"It's Jason!"  
  
"That's stupid. He's not even here. I bet if you checked the security, they'll say there's been no disturbance or intrusion."  
  
"He cudda hacked it. Pretty sure he's good enough not to get detected," Harper spoke up.  
  
"Jason doesn't like being in the Manor, though. Why would he play an instrument? It would just tell us he's here," Tim argued.  
  
"You know, we could always go check it out," Steph suggested, a grin on her pale face.  
  
"No. You.. ill. Alfred.... sed... you need... rest," Cass told them firmly, her arms folded over her chest.  
  
"Please, Cass," Steph begged her, bringing her hands together with her finger interlaced in a begging position and placed her fists under her chin. She battered her eyes at Cass innocently, putting on her best puppy face. Cass still remained unchanged.  
  
"C'mon, Cass. Alfred's said several times we're all gettin' better. And wouldn't a little exercise and some fresh air help us?" Harper asked. Cass nibbled her lip as she thought about it.  
  
"He..too ill to... move." She pointed at Tim, who made a hurt face at her. Steph giggled, it turning into another coughing.  
  
"You could always carry him instead," she suggested. Cass looked at Tim.  
  
"Oh no no no. That's not a good idea. I'm too big and heavy for you," he told her. Cass studied them then let her shoulders drop and sighed. She nodded, letting them get off the sofa, rushing to Steph's aid when she stood on the end of her blanket and almost fell over. Once the two girls were up, she kneeled in front of Tim, waiting for him to move onto her back.  
  
"I don't think it's a good idea. You go and I'll stay," he tried.  
  
"Tch, please, Cass can carry Bruce, you'll be like a feather compared to him," Steph told him. He glared at her then crawled onto Cass' back. Her arms wrapped around him, making sure she had a good grip on him then stood up. She began walking to the door, following the sound of the music and the other two followed her, the cold messing with their hearing. Steph laughed at Cass, standing at 5'5'' and carrying her 5'8'' brother on her back. She continued to lead them, silent even with the added weight on her back, until she stood in the doorway to the foyer room Jason and Alfred were currently in. She let Tim slide down, but kept his arms over her shoulders, letting him lean on her as the girls stood on either side of her. They watched as he finished the piece he had been playing then duck his head down as he started the next song. Steph nudged Harper and jerked her head in Jason's direction several times. Harper got the message and took her phone out of her pocket and began to video Jason.  
  
_"You've got the words to change a nation_  
_But you're biting your tongue_  
_You've spent a lifetime stuck in silence_  
_Afraid you'll say something wrong_  
_If no one ever hears it how we gonna learn your song?_  
  
_So come on, come on_  
_Come on, come on."_ Steph gasped as she heard Jason sing, her wish about wanting to hear him again coming true. They all listened in silence as they listened to Jason, the boy pouring his emotions into the lyrics and making it that more heart touching.  
  
_"You've got a heart as loud as lions_  
_So why let your voice be tamed?"_ Jason's voice hitched slightly, most likely connecting to the line but his strong voice carried on.  
  
_"Maybe we're a little different_  
_There's no need to be ashamed_  
_You've got the light to fight the shadows._  
_So stop hiding it away,"_ Jason's voice changed at the words, the anger and pain he felt coming through as he once again connected strongly with the lyrics.  
  
_"Come on, come on_  
_I wanna sing, I wanna shout_  
_I wanna scream 'til the words dry out_  
_So put it in all of the papers,_  
_I'm not afraid_  
_They can read all about it_  
_Read all about it, oh_  
_Oh-oh-oh_  
_Oh-oh-oh_  
_Oh-oh-oh_  
_Oh-oh-oh_  
_Oh-oh-oh_  
_Oh-oh-oh"_

* * *

"Do you... hear singing?" Barbara asked, eyebrows furrowing as she concentrated. Dick took her lead and stayed silent as he strained his ears to hear anything. A few seconds later and he could hear a voice singing. Another second later and he recognised the voice.  
  
"Jason!" They both said to each other, eyes widening at the fact that not only was he in the Manor, he was also singing. They immediately began moving, Dick springing up from where he had been sitting on the floor as Barbara furiously wheeled herself towards the sound. They entered a carpeted corridor and Barbara swore as her wheelchair got stuck on the carpet. Dick turned back at her curse, sliding to a stop and almost falling over as the carpet slid with him. He backpedalled to Barbara, sprinting to her side. In one sweeping motion, he had picked her up from her chair, one arm under her knees and the other supporting her back as he turned around and began to run back down the corridor. Jason's voice became louder then closer he got. Just before he burst through the door and into the room, Dick halted, sliding to a stop a metre before the doorway. He padded to the doorway and stood in it, seeing Cass, Harper, Steph and Tim in the doorway opposite them, also listening to Jason singing. Alfred was standing behind Jason, head facing the floor as he listened to him sing. Dick shifted Barbara slightly so she could see better. The young women reached into her pocket and took out her phone, beginning to record Jason singing.  
  
_"At night we're waking up the neighbours_  
_While we sing away the blues_  
_Making sure that we're remembered, yeah_  
_Cause we all matter too_  
_If the truth has been forbidden_  
_Then we're breaking all the rules,"_ Jason's voice deepened throughout the verse, connecting strongly to the lyrics especially the line about mattering _._  
  
_"So come on, come on_  
_Come on, come on,_  
  
_Let's get the TV and the radio_  
_To play our tune again_  
_It's 'bout time we got some airplay of our version of events_  
_There's no need to be afraid_  
_I will sing with you my friend_  
  
_Come on, come on_  
  
_I wanna sing, I wanna shout_  
_I wanna scream 'til the words dry out_  
_So put it in all of the papers,_  
_I'm not afraid_  
_They can read all about it_  
_Read all about it, oh_  
_Oh-oh-oh_  
_Oh-oh-oh_  
_Oh-oh-oh_  
_Oh-oh-oh_  
_Oh-oh-oh_  
_Oh-oh-oh."_

* * *

Damian's hand stilled, the paintbrush millimetres away from the canvas, as a voice floated up the stairs to him. He turned his head to the open door, thankful for once he had decided to keep it open. The young assassin put his paintbrush down and walked outside to listen better. Even though he had only heard the voice twice -once when Damian had stayed in his safe house after a mission had ended too late for him to go back to the Manor and so had overheard him singing as he cooked for them and the second time when he, and the rest of the boys, had played Carry on Wayward Son for Cass as she danced in front of the others- he knew the voice belonged to Jason. He carried on walking down the stairs as he listened to the music, it becoming easier to hear the closer he got to. The pre-teen pretended he did it so he could find out who was making the racket and not because he, like everyone else, wanted to hear Jason sing again. Damian walked silently down the long halls of the Wayne Manor, coming to a stop next to Dick in the doorway. Dick smiled down at him, only slightly surprised Damian had walked to the doorway he had chosen. Damian's green eyes spotted the recorder in Barbara's hands and spoke whilst Jason wasn't singing, keeping his voice low.  
  
"Is that not slightly rude? They seem to be having a private moment, surely this intrusion is wrong," Damian told Barbara. She took her eyes off her phone to look at him, making sure the phone didn't move.  
  
"Fine then, I won't send you the video of him singing." Damian quietened down at that.

* * *

Meanwhile, upstairs, Bruce sighed and pushed himself out from under his desk. He remembered a time when a younger, smaller Jason would have been either sleeping on his lap, sitting on the desk or on a chair in the room and asking questions with his excited smile. He had always loved learning new things. Bruce rubbed his eyes as he finally finished the paperwork and stood up, his body clicking after being kept in the same position for awhile. It was half seven, a little too early for him to go on patrol, not that he was thinking about it, with three young vigilantes already down with a cold and needed him in the Manor. The tall male walked out of the room, intending to go into Damian's room and see how his painting was going on and maybe invite him for a friendly spar to bond. As he walked out into the interior balcony of the first floor, he heard the notes of a piano from downstairs. Normally he would have suspected it was Dick or Tim, playing either a love song for Barbara or a ballet piece for Cass. What made him stop was the masculine voice that was drifting up as well, too deep to be Dick's or Tim's and definetely not Damian's. His heart missed a beat as he placed the voice to his wayward son, Jason. Without properly thinking it through, the vigilante leapt over the railing, landing on the stairs and running down it, desperately hoping he would be able to catch at least the end of the song. He sprinted down to the foyer room, not needing to follow the music to where Jason was as he knew that Jason's favourite place to play was in the conservatory near to the living room near the stairs. The glass windows let him see the gardens perfectly and the room housed his favourite piano.  
  
Bruce slid to a halt, throwing his arms out to catch the doorway and stop himself from sliding into the room and distracting Jason. He knew Jason would clam up and refuse to play, probably leave the Manor if he did that. His eyes caught Cass and the others in the left doorway and Damian, Dick and Barbara in the right doorway. Both Harper and Barbara were recording the male in front of him.  
  
_"Yeah, we're all wonderful, wonderful people_  
_So when did we all get so fearful?_  
_Now we're finally finding our voices_  
_So take a chance, come help me sing this_ ," Bruce's breath was knocked out of his chest as he heard his son sing. The emotion and feelings Jason managed to pour into the words blew him away. It had been such a long time since he had heard him sing, Bruce had played Barbara's recording of Jason singing Carry on Wayward Son for hours on end every night. He'd even listened to it on the nights when patrol was slow, allowing himself to listen to it on the quietest of volumes. Jason's voice hadn't broken before he had died, but his deep voice, though completely different to the one Bruce remembered, was melodic and calmed Bruce down easily. Hearing Jason sing now was much different from when he had overheard him singing to Alfred when he was younger. It wasn't just his voice that had changed- from a high-pitched happy tone to a deep voice that only just begun to betray the things he had gone through- the types of songs were different now. Before he would sing fast, happy songs, anything that was in the Top 40. Now all the songs he sang were about mattering and living. Bruce knew he shouldn't but he had always been jealous of Alfred's ability to get Jason to sing to him especially now that he was no longer close to the family. He wished he had something even a fraction the size of what Alfred had with Jason.  
  
_"Yeah, we're all wonderful, wonderful people_  
_So when did we all get so fearful?_  
_And now we're finally finding our voices_  
_Just take a chance, come help me sing this_  
  
_I wanna sing, I wanna shout_  
_I wanna scream 'til the words dry out_  
_So put it in all of the papers,_  
_I'm not afraid_  
_They can read all about it_  
_Read all about it, oh_  
_Oh-oh-oh_  
_Oh-oh-oh_  
_Oh-oh-oh_  
_Oh-oh-oh_  
_Oh-oh-oh_  
_Oh-oh-oh_  
  
_I wanna sing, I wanna shout_  
_I wanna scream 'til the words dry out_  
_So put it in all of the papers,_  
_I'm not afraid_  
_They can read all about it_  
_Read all about it, oh."_  
  
He played the last few notes, holding down the pedal so the notes lasted longer. In that time, Cass and her group and Dick and his group moved away, Dick having to drag Damian away by the cuff of his shirt. They had eavesdropped enough on a private moment and if there was a chance that Jason and Bruce could have a chat, it should just be them.  
  
"That was.... that was...." Alfred tried to think of a word to describe it but couldn't, no words he knew would give justice to the piece he had just heard. Jason laughed, the noise shaky as he rested his hands on his thighs after baring a little bit of his soul to the man. Bruce watched as Alfred tightened his grip on the metal tray, hugging it to his chest as he looked at Jason, suddenly looking vulnerable. Alfred ducked his head down and turned, using the action to hastily wipe his eyes. Bruce moved into the shadows so his butler wouldn't see him. Alfred turned back to Jason, his composure back. Jason seemed to be the only one who could make Alfred lose his composure so easily and often.  
  
"Master Jason, I don't suppose you would stay the night. Your bedroom is still the same, just how you left it," Alfred told him, voice cracking as he fought to not picture the way Jason's body had been when Bruce brought him back to the Cave, or when he had been the one to autopsy him. He had too many scars to go to an official coroner without it causing concern and so the job had fallen to Alfred.  
  
"Sorry, Alfie. I should probably go." Jason walked over to the old man, noticing for the first time the wrinkles around his eyes and the grey hairs that hadn't been there the last time he had seen him. He pressed a kiss above the old butler's left eye then turned and walked out of the conservatory's glass door and onto the grounds. Alfred placed the tray on the table and brought his hands up and covered his eyes. His shoulders didn't move up and down in a sob, he just sighed into his hands. A few moments later he took a deep breath and dropped his hands. Tee ageing butler collected the tray and walked out of the room, right past Bruce without even noticing him, probably too lost in his memories of Jason as a child.  
  
Bruce walked into the room, lifting up the piano lid and ghosting his fingers along the white bars, feeling the slight warmth that Jason's fingers had put there. Ever since he had come back, Jason's temperature had been lower than normal, just another indicator of what he had gone through. Bruce looked up and through the glass and saw a black figure jump over the brick wall. The father of five lowered the lid and walked to the doorway Cass and her friends had stood in and closed the door. He moved to the door that Dick and the rest had stood in and closed that door with enough force that the panes of glass rattled. He then walked to the doorway he had stood in and walked out of the room, closing the door and leaning his forehead on the wooden door. His fist tightened over the doorknob in anger. Anger at all that had happened to Jason. Anger at all his actions towards Jason, the things he had done to him that had pushed him further away. He had failed Jason, he _kept_ failing him. Bruce pushed off the door and made his way to the Cave, deciding to take out his anger and frustrations and sadness on a punching bag or ten.

* * *

A day later, he received an email from Oracle.  
  
_'I used Bluebird's recordings (she got the entire song) and edited the sound quality a bit._  
_O xx'_  
  
He clicked the attachment and a picture of Jason sitting in front of the piano appeared. He began to play the instrument and sing, his voice echoing around the Cave and disturbing the bats. As he continued to sing, Bruce lowered his head into his hands and cried for the son he had lost.

 

[Read All About Part 3](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiwK5JcQbtM)


End file.
